I have a confession to make. I have an addiction to cookbooks, having collected a fair share and taking up multiple shelf space. Why do I collect them? I like trying out different recipes by others and it's a good way to pick up the basics of new types of cooking. Once you have brought them, they are always there to rely on, especially when I don't feel like creating anything new. Once I have decided i like an author, I tend to buy to buy more of their books as I know they can be relied on to give consistent results, be it in flavour, ease of preparation or in being quick to make. I would occasionally fixate on a type or style of cooking and collect books based on that type of cuisine. I have therefore got a fair few books on Indian, vegan, Mexican and loads from the Hairy Bikers. Sometimes, it takes me a while to warm to a book and start using it regularly. Especially for something like Mexican cooking, where the ingredients are unfamiliar and I have to figure out the best place to get them from, especially as supermarkets don't stock them. this has become a little easier now that I have moved to London, where I have access to ethnic shops, markets and other specialist shops. When I moved to London, I had to choose which books to take with me. I have found that, over time there are only a few of my books I keep going back to over and over. Here is a list of those books that I ended up taking with me, and what I like about them.
15 minutes vegan series by Katy Beskow- cheap, easy and quick to make that doesn't rely on random, hard to get, specialist ingredients.
Wahaca at Home and Mexican Food Made Easy by Thomasina Miers- because I love Mexican food and the million different types of chillies they have!
The Pioneer Woman cookbooks- very approachable, homely cooking style that always gets yummy results. she also has a picture demonstrating every step.
Made in India by Meera Sodha- easy, approachable, everyday Indian cooking.
On a similar note, I also really like the Hairy Bikers Great Curries cookbook. This covers curries not just from India but from the rest of Asia as well. I tend to save this one for special occasions or guests though as it tends to have a long list of ingredients. It is a book I left behind though, for those same reasons.
In terms of the best places to get ingredients from, I go to ethnic local neighbourhood shops. the kind with fruit and veg outside the front of the store. once you go inside, they tend to have a huge range of spices, lentils, beans etc. These cover your basics when it comes to Indian and Middle Eastern cooking and tend to be a little cheaper that supermarkets. Everything comes in big bags, so they are a good place to stock up on basics. For Mexican ingredients, I like a company called The Cool Chile Co. They used to have a stall at Borough market, but I haven't seen them there for a while. They also have a website you can order from as well as being available from third party sellers like Amazon. I usually buy a selection of chillies from them. Supermarkets are good now at stocking staples like canned black beans, that are commonly used in Mexican food. They also sometimes have chipotle paste, but it's pricy and you only get a tiny amount. I highly recommend making your own (Thomasina Miers has a good recipe) in a big batch, jar up and freeze the jars you don't need. You can then take one out as needed and use as a meat marinade, in stews and soups, in tomato based and pasta dishes. And you can seriously impress your friends if you give them a jar as a gift. I have come across a shop called Mestizo on Hampstead Road, London, that sells Mexican food and has a restaurant attached. They seem to offer a good selection of Mexican ingredients online, but I have yet to visit their physical store.
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